showcowgo.com: October 2009

Thursday, October 29, 2009

This Week(end) In Shows (TWIS): 10/29 - 10/31

	Thursday, October 29, 6:30pm		Bob Dylan @ Aragon
	Thursday, October 29, 8:00pm		Noah and the Whale @ Lakeshore Theater
	Thursday, October 29, 8:00pm		The Very Best @ Bottom Lounge
	Thursday, October 29, 9:30pm		Nunslaughter/Lair of the Minotaur/Christ Beheaded @ Empty Bottle
	Friday, October 30, 6:30pm		Bob Dylan @ Aragon
	Friday, October 30, 7:00pm		Chromeo/Crystal Castles @ Congress Theatre
	Friday, October 30, 7:30pm		Monsters of Folk @ Auditorium Theatre
	Friday, October 30, 8:00pm		Poster Children @ Bottom Lounge
	Friday, October 30, 8:00pm		Dan Deacon @ Logan Square Auditorium
	Saturday, October 31, 6:30pm		Bob Dylan @ Aragon
	Saturday, October 31, 7:00pm		Holy Fuck @ Auditorium Theater (w/Disco Biscuits)
	Saturday, October 31, 8:00pm		Fu Manchu @ Double Door
	Saturday, October 31, 8:30pm		Scotland Yard Gospel Choir @ Sub-T

Friday, October 23, 2009

Japandroids @ Schubas, 10/09/09 (Or, "What do single men in Chicago who read too many music blogs do on a Friday night?")

I don’t think I’m alone in having an almost instinctive hesitation about the blog band of the moment. Hell, it helps explain the undeserved backlash that bands like Vampire Weekend get. But I’ll say this about Japandroids – their debut album is pretty damn good. Not great, but pretty damn good for a first LP. So when a ticket became available to see them at Schubas with Horsie Sauce, I jumped at the chance. Milwaukee has had a relative dearth of concerts lately. And no, I won’t pay $30 to see Andrew Bird at the Pabst. I’m sure it’s a good show, but I’ve seen the man three times already for $20 or less. You have to draw the line somewhere.

There’s nothing I can add to all the commentary on Japandroid’s wall of sound. It’s all true; for two guys from Vancouver (one with a horrendous, trying-too-hard-to-be-80s-ironic-cool indie haircut), they produce sound with more depth than most four- or five-piece bands I’ve seen. And they sound great live – energy, comprehensible lyrics, a rawness that comes with starting a tour (albeit with an utter lack of banter). A nice show overall. I’d recommend them to anyone. Although, seeing as most of my friends think Kings of Leon have improved with each album, I’m not sure anyone would listen…

Anyway, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the crowd, because this was the strangest crowd I’ve seen at Schubas in a while. Let’s break it down: 90% men, 80% of whom seemed very enthusiastic about the show, (but) 50% of whom kept leaving to get drinks, and 40% of whom were way, way too into Japandroids. To take a page from Janine Garafalo (god help me), it’s okay to love Japandroids, but I don’t think it’s okay to love Japandroids. This observation was capped off by two guys in front of me go absolutely apes**t over the beginning of their “encore” (“I Quite Girls”, I believe), only to leave a minute into the song. Real enthusiasm, guys. And one final word on the “encore” – please, please PLEASE stop calling built-in songs an “encore.” Japandroids tried to get around this by playing their set, pausing 30 seconds without leaving the stage, and then announcing, “We won’t call this an encore, because that’s not what we do. So, let’s just play another song.” No, guys, that’s the very definition of a fake encore. A rose is a rose is a rose…

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

This Week In Shows (TWIS)

I'll just take ya to the end of the month. Remember, these are all available on the subscribable SHOWcal over at showcowgo.com.

	Thursday, October 22, 6:00pm		Get Up Kids @ Metro
	Thursday, October 22, 8:00pm		Get Up Kids @ Metro
	Friday, October 23, 6:30pm		Airborne Toxic Event/Henry Clay People @ Metro
	Saturday, October 24, 8:00pm		Lucero @ Bottom Lounge
	Sunday, October 25, 7:00pm		Raveonettes @ Metro
	Sunday, October 25, 8:00pm		Ted Leo & the Pharmacists @ Lincoln Hall
	Monday, October 26, 8:00pm		Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard @ Lincoln Hall
	Monday, October 26, 8:00pm		Atlas Sound @ Bottom Lounge
	Tuesday, October 27, 8:00pm		Saul Williams @ Double Door
	Tuesday, October 27, 8:30pm		Os Mutantes @ Sub-T
	Tuesday, October 27, 9:00pm		Smith Westerns/Neon Indian
	Wednesday, October 28, 6:30pm		Lights/Stars of Track and Field @ Sub-T
	Wednesday, October 28, 7:00pm		Gaslight Anthem/Murder By Death @ Double Door
	Wednesday, October 28, 8:00pm		Flosstradamus @ Bottom Lounge
	Wednesday, October 28, 9:00pm		Great Lake Swimmers @ Lincoln Hall
	Thursday, October 29, 6:30pm		Bob Dylan @ Aragon
	Thursday, October 29, 8:00pm		Noah and the Whale @ Lakeshore Theater
	Thursday, October 29, 8:00pm		The Very Best @ Bottom Lounge
	Thursday, October 29, 9:30pm		Nunslaughter/Lair of the Minotaur/Christ Beheaded @ Empty Bottle
	Friday, October 30, 6:30pm		Bob Dylan @ Aragon
	Friday, October 30, 7:00pm		Chromeo/Crystal Castles @ Congress Theatre
	Friday, October 30, 7:30pm		Monsters of Folk @ Auditorium Theatre
	Friday, October 30, 8:00pm		Poster Children @ Bottom Lounge
	Friday, October 30, 8:00pm		Dan Deacon @ Logan Square Auditorium
	Saturday, October 31, 6:30pm		Bob Dylan @ Aragon
	Saturday, October 31, 7:00pm		Holy Fuck @ Auditorium Theater (w/Disco Biscuits)
	Saturday, October 31, 8:00pm		Fu Manchu @ Double Door
	Saturday, October 31, 8:30pm		Scotland Yard Gospel Choir @ Sub-T

Japandroids @ Schubas 10/9/9

As I've remarked before, autumn is an excellent time for live music in Chicago. The few pleasant summer nights that we get are long gone, so you don't feel guilty choosing to spend all your time in a dark bar. Plus, summer festivals have wound down, so great bands are touring small venues once again. For instance, Japandroids . I missed them at Pitchfork this summer (choosing instead to listen to the Walkmen perform the #5 2008-record of the year You & Me ). So, because I really adore their debut Post-Nothing and have heard really great things about their live shows, I was eagerly anticipating this show. I wasn't disappointed. Despite some minor technical glitches, an over-packed house, and relatively banal crowd interaction (I need me some good band banter!), this duo put on a heck of a show. That such an arena-worthy wall of sound can be produced by a two-piece, and be performed by a pair of dudes clearly having the times of their lives, goes to show that sometimes the hype is justified, and that innovative indie rock is occasionally still being put out. A

Friday, October 16, 2009

15 Second Record Review - Customer by Collection of Colonies of Bees

You might be familiar with Volcano Choir , one of the indie bands of the moment (download the single Island, IS here for free), which is a collaboration between Collections of Colonies of Bees and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver . Collections of Colonies of Bees was formed in 1988 to combine traditional folk/bluegrass rock with electronic soundscapes. They eventually signed with Polyvinyl where they debuted this album, Customer, which was included in my Box o' Swag . This album sounds a lot more like Pomme Fritz era Orb than any Grandaddy album, which is what's suggested by their Bio. Nevertheless, it's an interesting album, and among the few from the Box o' Swag that I anticipate going back to. B

Update: I almost forgot to add the very amusing track list from this album:
1. Fun
2. Fun
3. Fun
4. Fun
5. Fun
6. Fun
7. Fun
8. Funeral

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Vote for planckstudios @ CBS' "CaptureMyChicago" contest!

Local CBS Channel 2 is hosting a photo contest called CaptureMyChicago. Close friend and photographer extraordinaire Jonathan Michael Johnson of planckstudios has 19 excellent submissions for consideration. Voting ends Friday, so please take a moment to vote .

You can see the work of JJ's students during the November 2nd Gallery Walk in Pilsen's Arts District at 1915 S. Halsted. JJ is also presenting a lecture/discussion on November 14th at 2:00 at the Harold Washington Library. If you're interested in hearing about his deconstruction techniques, feel free to stop by.